Burton Albion face their first Championship away trip of the season at relegated Hull City tomorrow (3pm).

The Tigers are looking to readjust to life in the second tier after their one-year stay in the Premier League ended in May – and they have a new manager, former Russia boss Leonid Slutsky.

A 1-1 draw at one of the promotion favourites, Aston Villa, last weekend suggests some of the negativity around Hull after their return to the Championship was misplaced.

Hull kicked off their season with a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa (Image: Neville Williams/Aston Villa via Getty Images)

They will be looking to carry that momentum into the clash with the Brewers, while Albion will want to get their first win after the opening day defeat by Cardiff.

We spoke to the Hull Daily Mail’s Will Jackson about Tigers’ outgoings, a lack of optimism, and Slutsky’s early impact.

LOSS OF KEY PLAYERS HITS HARD

As is so often the case when a side is relegated from the Premier League, Hull have seen some of their outstanding talent poached over the summer.

Left-back Andy Robertson joined Liverpool, Harry Maguire and Eldin Jakupovic both moved to Leicester City and talismanic midfielder Tom Huddlestone returned to Derby County, one of the Tigers’ Championship rivals.

Unsurprisingly, after the departure of so many key players, there seems to be mixed feelings about Hull’s chances in the Championship this time around, especially with fewer incomings than outgoings so far.

But the Tigers steadily built some momentum for the campaign during a good pre-season run and they showed real quality to come from behind to earn a point at much-fancied Aston Villa on Saturday.

So what is the mood among Hull fans at this stage?

Jackson said: "With the transfers so far, the feeling is not too optimistic at the minute.

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"In terms of expectations, I think most Hull fans would be happy with a mid-table finish.

"But, as is always the case, if they bring in a few players, expectations will rise."

SLUTSKY’S SETTLING IN

Hull’s big-name players have not been the only ones who headed through the KCOM exit this summer.

Marco Silva, the manager who took over with the Tigers bottom of the table and led them agonisingly close to Premier League survival last season, left the club before joining Premier League side Watford.

Leonid Slutsky during his time as Russia manager (Image: UEFA/Getty Images)

In came Slutsky, the former Russia and CSKA Moscow manager.

As their pre-season form and draw at Villa have shown, the new manager’s early impact has been a positive one – and Jackson agrees.

He said: "It’s really positive – he’s a popular figure and quite a character as well!